Skating-rink.



PATENTED MAY 23, 1907.

F. 1., OLESON. SKATING RINK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1907.

m2 NORRIS PETERS col, \usnmarou, n. c.

FRANK L. OLESON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SKATING-RINK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1907.

Application filed February 18,1907. e fll NO- 357,972.

T0 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK L. OLEsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Skating Rinks, of which tl ie following is a clear, full, and exact description.

My invention relates principally to skating rinks although it can be used as a place for other classes of amusements and entertainments.

The objects of my invention are to provide a rink having a skating track of maximum length within a given superficial area of floor space; to separate the space devoted to beglnners from the endless track occupied by ade ts, to convert the beginners court into a field for polo and athletic sports or other amusements when desired; to provide a novel arrangement of elevated galleries for the audience, from which a view of both the beginners court and the adepts track can be seen, and to provide a most economically disposed space for convenience-rooms for both male and female skaters, and thoroughly separate the skaters from the audience.

This I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1- is a plan viewof the main floor of my improved rink. Fig. 2 is a plan'view of the gallery floor of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the structure taken on dotted lines 3'3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the inclosed space within which the convenience rooms are located, drawn to a larger scale.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the skating-floor is shown to be of rectangular area, about twice as long as it is wide, or say, about two hundred and fifty (250) feet long by about one hundred and thirty (130) feet wide. This floor space is divided up into an outer endless skating course or track A, and an inner court B, by two longitudinally arranged parallel rows of columns a, a, that assist in supporting the roof, and by an inclosed space C, occupied by the convenience-rooms,

which is situated at the forward ends of said columns a. These columns are arranged parallel with the side-walls of the building, and each row is about thirty-three (33) feet from the nearest side wall thereof. The rearmost columns of each row are situated about fifty feet from the rear end-wall of the building, and the front wall of the convenience-room space, C, (which is, preferably, curved forward and at its center of length) is about forty (40) feet removed from the front end-wallpf the building. Now the course of track A is not interfered with by people entering or leaving the rink, nor by beginners whose efforts are confined to the court B, nor by the audience. In order to accomplish this result I make the stairway b, up which only entrance can be had to the skating floor, at about the center of the inclosed space C. Immediately in front of stairway b, I make another stairway c, which is entirely inclosed by suitable walls from the skating floor, and leads from the floor below to the pavilion D, on the floor above said skating floor, and immediately in front of the stairs, c, I make a skate-room E of suitable dimensions.

On each side of the skate-room and the stairways, space C is partitioned off by longitudinal walls f, f, extending from points near the rear wall of space C to a point about opposite the rear end of the skate-room, and I also provide longitudinal walls F, which extend from a point on the front end wall of said space C farther from the skate-room than wallf, back past the forward end of the latter so as to leave a short passageway between their lapping ends. These walls f and F divide the space on one side of these stairways into a gentlemens lounging-room G, and the space on the opposite side of the stairway into a ladies retiring-room g. In the forward corner of the ladies retiringroom farthest from the skate-room is a toiletroom e, which is provided with suitable closets and lavatories, substantially as shown, and the forward corner of the gentlemens lounging room, farthest from the skate-room is likewise provided with a toilet-room e,

Which is provided with the usual conveniences. To the rear of these toilet-rooms, the ladies retiring-room and the gentlemens lounging-room are each provided with foyers I, J, that are provided with seats or benches for the convenience of skaters when taking off or putting on their skates, or when resting. The rear corners of these foyers are, preferably, provided with doorways h, h, that lead to and from the skatingfloor. I prefer to remove the rear wall of the space 0 between the ladies retiring-room and the gentlemens lounging-room, and midway between the same to provide a refreshment booth or .refectory K.

The audience floor or pavilion D covers over the inclosure C, and access can only be had to this pavilion by way of the audience stairway c as hereinbefore stated. The edges of this pavilion overhanging the outer Walls of the inclosure 0 provide galleries, and the rear corners of this pavilion have rearwardly extending parallel wings or promenades N, N, Which are supported by longitudinal rows of columns a, a, that preferably pass through the floor of said promenades and'support the roof. These promenades N, N, are, preferably, about sixteen (16) feet wide, and the pavilion is about eighty-two (82) feet wide by about sixty-two (62) feet deep. The audience being above the skating floor are not affected by the centrifugal action of the draft and dust caused by the circular procession of the skaters in the course A, and persons in the galleries and particularly on the promenades can on one side witness the skaters on the court B and, on the other side the skaters on the course A. Now should it be desired to have a polo game, it can be held in court B, between the inclosure C and the rear end-wall of the rink building. In this event the skating course A on either side of the building can be utilized by-the audience as well as the pavilion and promenades. On the contrary, if it be desired to hold a race on the course or track A, the court B as well as said galleries can be used for audience purposes.

I do not desire to be confined to the exact arrangement of rooms in the inclosure C hereinbefore described, nor do I wish to be confined to the exact arrangement of the pavilion and promenades, as shown, because it is obvious they might be changed so long as they retain the principle of arrangement hereinbefore alluded to, without departing from the spirit of my invention. While I have hereinbefore confined the use of my improvements to skating events, it will be understood that the structure can be used for other classes of entertainments as well. I wish to be understood as contemplating all such uses of the structure as cmning within the spirit of my invention. A

\Vh at I claim as new is 1. A skating rink comprising a lloor provided with a central area having a partitioned inclosure at one end that is spaced from the walls 011 all sides to provide a track surrounding said central area and inclosure.

A skating rink comprising a lloor provided with a central area having a partitioned inclosure at one end that is divided into convenience rooms and has a stairway leading from. another floor, said partitioned inclosure being spaced. from the walls on all sides to provide a track surrounding said central area and inclosure.

3. A skating rink comprising a lloor, two parallel rows of vertical columns dividing said floor into an outer endless track and a central area, and galleries supported by said columns from which said endless track can be viewed on one side thereof and the central area on the other.

4. A skating rink comprising a lloor, two parallel rows of verticahcolumns dividing said floor into an outer endless track and a central area, a partitioned inclosure for convenience rooms located at one end of said central area, and galleries supported by said columns from which said endless track can be viewed on one side thereof and the central area on the opposite side.

5. A skating rink con'iprising a lloor provided with a central area having a partitioned inclosure at one end, that has a pavilion over the same, said partitioned inclosure being spaced from the walls on all sides to provide a track surrounding said central area and inclosure.

6. A skating rink comprising a floor pro vided with a central area having a partitioned inclosure at one end. that has a pavilion over the same, said. partitioned inclosure being spaced from. the walls on all sides to provide a track surrouinling said central area and inclosure, andv promenades extending from said pavilion from both sides of which the floor below can be seen.

7. A skating rink comprising a floor divided into an. outer endless track, a central area, a partitioned inclosure for convenience rooms located at one end of said central area, a pavilion over said inclosure, and parallel promenades extending therefron'i over the longitudinal lines of demarcation between said outer track and central area, from both sides of which the lloor below can be seen.

8. A skating rink comprising a 'lloor divided into an outer endless track and a central area, a partitioned inclosure for convenience rooms located at one end of said central area, and a pavilion over said incl osurc having stairs leading thereto which pass up the Walls on all sides to provide a track sur- 10 through said inolosure but are walled. in rounding said central area and said inclosure. therefrom. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 9. A skating rink comprising a floor promy hand and seal this 9th day of February, vided with a central area having a parti- A. D., 1907.

tioned inolosure at one end that is divided FRANK L. OLESON. [L. s.] into convenience rooms and a skate room Witnesses: and a stairway leading from another floor, FRANK D. THOMASON,

said partitioned inclosure being spaced from E. K. LUNDY. 

